Michigan Basketball vs Ohio State: How to watch, storylines and more

Michigan basketball will play its final home game of the season Sunday vs Ohio State. Here is how ot watch and what to know.

When it comes to the rivalry between Michigan basketball and Ohio State, it’s pretty fierce. It may not rival the intensity of things on the gridiron, but it’s an enourmous game nonetheless.

And with the way the 2017-18 season is shaping up for both Michigan basketball and Ohio State, it’s a huge game for both teams. Michigan needs a win to wrap up an NCAA Tournament berth. Ohio State, on the other hand, is trying to win a Big Ten championship.

From the perspective of the Wolverines, nothing would be better than spoiling that, especially after the way things have gone in football the past few seasons. The other motivation for Michigan will be payback. Ohio State rallied from 22 down to win the first meeting between the two teams in December. Now, UM is out to even the score.

That loss hurt, but a win at home, on senior day, would help square things. It would also give the Wolverines their second-best win of the season. Here’s how to watch and a breakdown of the critical matchup.

Game Info:

Game 29: Michigan vs Ohio State

When: 1:00 PM EST

Where: Crisler Arena

TV: CBS

Streaming: CBS Sports App/cbssports.com

Radio: WWJ (950 AM) in Detroit

Breakdown

Of course, when you are talking about the Buckeyes, you have to talk first about Keita Bates-Diop, who is scoring more than 19 points per game. C.J. Jackson, Jae’Sean Tate and Kalen Wesson are the other double-digit scorers. Ohio State averages 76.3 points per game, which ranks 107th in the NCAA. Defensively, they are solid allowing just 66.5, which is 43rd.

Moe Wagner comes in as the Wolverines top scorer with an average of 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. UM averages 74 points, which is 182nd, but on the other end, UM ranks 10th in the NCAA by allowing just 63.5 per game.

A Big factor in the game is going to be 3-point shooting. When the Wolverines make 10 3-pointers or more, they are 10-3. And in the past two games, Duncan Robinson has caught fire, making 10-of-15 shots from beyond the arc in wins over Iowa and Wisconsin.

In the Kenpom rankings, Ohio State is 16th overall, with the 27th ranked adjusted offense and the 14th ranked defense. Michigan, on the other hand, is 27th overall. They are 51st on offense and 23rd on defense. The offensive number is low, but the team has shot poorly for much of the year.

Another motivating factor is senior day. Michigan basketball has just one, Austin Hatch and he doesn’t really play. But it will still be a rah-rah day for the Wolverines and a fan base hungry for success against the hated Buckeyes.

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For all those reasons it’s a must-win game. When Michigan and Ohio State play, in any sport, it always is.